


Tightrope

by bonsaiScribbler



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Omega Yoon Jeonghan, Pack Dynamics, Protective Pack, Soft and Fluffy, mentions of heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22218382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonsaiScribbler/pseuds/bonsaiScribbler
Summary: Even if he's a million miles away, his pack will always call Seungcheol when they need him.
Relationships: EveryonexEveryone - Relationship, OT13
Comments: 11
Kudos: 181





	Tightrope

It’s barely four in the morning when his phone rings, shaking him awake from a nice, cozy dream he can’t really remember. The air is freezing, and he wants nothing more than to curl back up and ignore the world, but whoever is trying to reach him is nothing, if not persistent.

“Mm?” He manages to get out when he picks up the call, his voice not quite cooperating with him just yet.

“Hi Hyung.” He hears Mingyu’s slightly tinny voice on the other hand. He can’t really grasp why, but his heartbeat skyrockets with worry, his mind working a million miles per hour going over all possible problems. “-yung? Hyung?” 

“What?” He manages to rasp out, already trying to untangle himself and getting ready to find his members before he remembers that they are not in the dorm. 

He is, and they are halfway across the world.

“Hyung, please calm down.” Mingyu’s voice is laced with guilt.“I’m sorry, I forgot about the time zones. I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

His members have been doing their best to alleviate his stress, giving him time to figure things out himself; and he has been getting better, but four am calls never help his nerves. Never have and never will, a voice in the back of his head whispers in an amused tone, sounding a little too much like Jisoo for his liking. 

With a heavy sigh of relief Seungcheol settles back down, wide-awake now that his overactive imagination has been appeased.

“It’s okay.” He tells Mingyu, trying to sound soothing, but it’s a lot more difficult over the phone than in person, and he can hear Mingyu bite back a small whine. “Mingyu, it’s okay. Really. Tell me about your day.”

He is not as proficient at distracting people as Jeonghan and Seungkwan are, but he knows how easily Mingyu gets swept up in his excitement. So he waits for Mingyu to start a slow recount of his day, gradually getting calmer as he listens to Mingyu ramble on and on about the things that they had seen, the pranks that had been played, and the concert that Seungcheol had sneakily watched on his phone.  
His therapist told him not to dive back in headfirst, but watching his group did help with his need to see his pack, so he assumes that it’s fine.

“How are the others?” He asks, and when Mingyu doesn’t immediately respond, his anxiety rears its ugly head back in. “Mingyu? Tell me what’s going on.”

It’s not quite an order. Alpha orders never carry over the phone anyway, but Mingyu knows his tone and it’s enough to snap him out of his stupor.

“It’s not bad, Hyung.” Mingyu starts, and Seungcheol can almost seem him fidgeting. “Jeonghan is going into a suppressed heat, and we were a bit late with the suppressants, because of the schedule.”

“It'll be fine, I promise.” he rambles on. “It's just that... Channie isn't taking it too well.”

A suppressed heat was something that none of them liked, least of all Jeonghan. Usually the managers planned everything meticulously to avoid Jeonghan being on schedule during a heat, but being on tour was different. He knows that Jeonghan has discussed every detail with the managers, and agreed to take suppressants. But they all hated it. It never completely suppresses all effects, leaving Jeonghan with cramps and dizziness for the duration, his body preparing itself for a heat that won't come, essentially stuck in a preheat stage that wouldn’t stop for a few days. 

“Is he around?” 

“No, he won’t leave Jeonghan’s side.” Mingyu explains. “He’s growling at anyone who approaches and it's putting everyone on edge. He's locked himself in the hotel room with Jeonghan hours ago, and he won't come out... He won't listen to any of us.”

“It’s his first time experiencing a suppressed heat. He doesn’t understand that he is making it worse.” With a low growl of frustration he gets out of bed and starts pacing. Chan had presented as an Alpha just a few months ago, quite late for his age, but Chan had adjusted well to the change, and everyone had been pleased by how well-behaved their youngest had been. “He's probably all caught up in Jeonghan's scent. You need to get Channie away from him.” 

“I know, but he's been so stubborn. I just...” Hope you'd know what to do, goes unspoken, but Seungcheol hears it anyway. 

Of course Mingyu would call his Pack Alpha. No matter how messed up the situation would become, Mingyu always trusted Seungcheol to come up with a solution. His blind faith had proven to be both endearing, and frustrating many times, but at the moment it is exactly what Seungcheol needs.

“Where are they now?” 

“Still holed up in Jeonghan's hotel room.” Mingyu states. Seungcheol can hear someone enter the room Mingyu is in and a hushed “Not now, hyung.” before a minor scuffle can be heard.

“Does Jeonghan have his phone with him?” he asks, sitting back down on his bed, waiting for whoever joined Mingyu to make themselves known.

“Yeah? I think so.” Mingyu replies, before Wonwoo's voice rings through the phone. 

“Yes, he does. Jun managed to give it to him before Channie dragged him off into the hotel room.”

“Good. Can you tell Seokmin and Jun to get ready to go and take care of Jeonghan when I call you?” Seungcheol asks. “And make sure that Hansol and Seungkwan stick with Chan, once he is out of the room.”

“Okay. What are you going to do?” Mingyu asks, while Seungcheol can hear Wonwoo get up and open the door, presumably to let the others know. It's times like these where he appreciates Wonwoo quietly carrying out orders without needing further details.

“Call Jeonghan.” he says, as if it's going to be easy. “Talk to you later.”

After he hangs up, he stares at the phone for a minute, trying to collect himself. The next part requires finesse and firmness, depending on Jeonghan's state.

He doesn't expect a response on the first try, knowing how distracted both Jeonghan and Chan must be, so he keeps calling Jeonghan's phone, until finally someone picks it up.

“What?” Chan snarls, and Seungcheol can hear Jeonghan in the background making soothing noises. 

“Chan.” Seungcheol says. “Pass the phone to Jeonghan.”

“No!” Followed by a soft whine from Jeonghan. One that Seungcheol has heard before when Jeonghan was already on the verge of a heat, easily upset by changes in the pack's dynamic. Chan must be giving off a strong scent for Jeonghan to react like that.

“Chan, turn on the video.” he commands. “Let me see you, pup.”

For a moment he thinks Chan is going to ignore him and end the call, but eventually the screen changes and he's staring at the youngest Alpha's dark eyes. The camera shifts, and he can see Chan moving around before the camera is placed on something solid. Then Chan rushes back to Jeonghan sitting on the hotel bed, pulling him tightly against his chest and inhaling deeply.

“Hyung...” Chan says with a low growl in a voice. A slow shudder goes through Jeonghan's body, and Seungcheol can tell that he's fighting a losing battle. 

None of them had stopped to consider that Chan would react to a heat, even if it was a suppressed one. None of them had paused to think that Chan still needed guidance, too caught up in trying to keep everything running smoothly. 

Seungcheol really wishes that he could kick himself in the butt right about now.

“Hey Chan.” he greets, after he turns on his own camera. “How are you feeling?”

“Hyung, I...” Chan seems unable to express himself, instead shifting Jeonghan in his arms until he is able to bury his nose against the exposed part of Jeonghan's neck. 

There's a thick leather collar wrapped around Jeonghan's neck, Seungcheol notices to his relief. He's not sure if Jeonghan put it on himself or if Chan did it while he was still in his right mind, but at least he won't have to worry about claiming bites. 

All of the older Alphas knew how to control themselves during Jeonghan's heat, but this was the first time that Chan found himself in this position. 

“It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself.” Seungcheol says. His voice is calm, but seeing their Omega in this state, so far away from his protection, is frustrating – even without being able to smell him. And Chan being exposed to Jeonghan's changed scent, as muted as it must be, would be almost out of his mind with the need to protect and take care of the Omega. “I understand. I know, Jeonghan smells different right now.”

That draws another whine from Chan, and leads Jeonghan to wiggle around until he can stroke Chan's head.

“Hannie...” Seungcheol waits until Jeonghan looks at him. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Snuggly.” Jeonghan says with a small shrug. He's acting as if Chan's scent isn't affecting him, but Seungcheol can tell by his flushed cheeks and the blown-out pupils that Jeonghan is dangerously close to slipping into a real heat. The longer Chan stays with him, the more likely it is that his pheromones will overpower the suppressants at this stage. “Warm.”

“That's nice.” Seungcheol says, watching Chan's reaction carefully. “But wouldn't it be nicer if you had some more people to cuddle with? Maybe Seokmin and Jun? They're waiting right outside.”

“Yes...” Jeonghan hums, moving closer towards the camera, but before he can get off the hotel bed Chan's hand shoots out and closes around Jeonghan's ankle, pulling the omega back.

“No!” Chan growls, wrapping Jeonghan in his arms again, and holding him in a tight backhug. “There are other people outside. They are not pack!”

“What? Channie, Jun and Seokmin are pack!” Jeonghan cries, trying to escape the Alpha's grip. “They are our pack!”

“No, not them!” Chan struggles with his words, hands tight on Jeonghan's arms, visibly distressed by the situation. Jeonghan goes lax in his arms when he sees how upset Chan has become, letting the Apha pull him back against his chest and bury his face against his neck.

“Is it the staff?” Seungcheol guesses. “The hotel staff?”

A loud growl confirms his suspicions. Of course Chan would be hostile towards them; he berates himself for not thinking of that beforehand.

“Chan. Channie, look at me.” He commands with the authority as Pack Alpha, and the younger finally diverts his attention from Jeonghan. “You know that the pack will protect Jeonghan from danger.”

“But!” Once again words fail Chan, and Seungcheol can tell that he is struggling with disobeying his Pack Alpha. 

“Trust me.” Seungcheol says soothingly. “We have been with Jeonghan many times. We've always kept him safe, right?”

He waits until he sees his little Alpha nod his head ever so slightly.

“I know I'm not there. I know that's scary.” he continues, carefully watching Chan. “I understand that you want to protect Jeonghan. But you don't have to do it alone.”

There's no response for a while. Chan presses his face back into Jeonghan's neck, and the Omega's eyes go slightly unfocused. Seungcheol begins to think that he might have to call Joshua and Mingyu to drag Chan out by force and deal with the fallout later. 

“Okay.” Chan finally replies to Seungcheol's relief. “But can I stay?”

The way he stares at Seungcheol, eyes wide and begging, is tugging at his heart-strings, but Jeonghan is getting worse by the minute, not even looking at Seungcheol anymore.

“I'm sorry, Channie.” Seungcheol tells him. “But Jeonghan needs to be away from Alphas right now.”

Chan gives a heartbreaking whine, and Jeonghan twists around to wrap his arms around the younger, pressing himself tightly against Chan.

“Jeonghan.” Seungcheol warns. Slowly Jeonghan pulls away from Chan and shuffles to the edge of the bed. “Chan, go now. Get Seokmin and Jun. And then go find Hansol and Seungkwan, okay?”

He doesn't get a verbal reply, but Chan gets up and leaves the room with one last look at Jeonghan.

“Hannie, Hannie...” Seungcheol coaxes. “Will you look at me?”

“I miss you.” Jeonghan says in a small voice when he finally looks at the camera. His flush is even more pronounced, and Seungcheol can see tiny beads of sweat beginning to form. But the look on Jeonghan's face is so vulnerable and full of longing that Seungcheol is reminded of the soft, sweet image that management tried to push on their brilliant, feisty Omega in the beginning.

“I miss you too.” he confesses. There's a lump in his throat, and his heart aches for Jeonghan, for his pack. 

The moment is broken by the door opening, and Seokmin and Jun hurrying into the room. They immediately check on the Omega and Jun lets out a low curse in Chinese.

“Thank you, Hyung!” Seokmin says when he grabs the phone and brings it close. In the background he can see Jeonghan press himself close to Jun, and taking deep breaths, inhaling as much of Jun's scent as possible. “We got it from here. We'll take care of everything.”

“I know you will.” Seungcheol replies – and he means it. They have never disappointed him before. 

They rush through their goodbyes and the screen goes blank, leaving Seungcheol alone in his room and unable to sleep.

A few hours later his phone chimes with a message from Mingyu. Jeonghan had slipped into a full heat, and Jisoo had read Chan the riot act. He feels for his youngest Alpha, but he knows that Jisoo is doing what is necessary. 

The next night his phone chimes again, but this time there's only a message from Chan, long and apologetic. It brings a small smile to his face to see his little Alpha grow. 

Two nights later there's another call. This time from Jeonghan, who is still very much out of it, and admits to having snuck into the bathroom to make the call.

“I miss you.” Jeonghan tells him again, voice breathy and soft. Seungcheol can almost see him sitting on the bathroom floor with his knees tucked close.

“I miss you too. It hurts to be away from you for so long.” he admits. He wants to be with his pack, not sitting here inside the dorm, all on his own. Usually their dorm is bustling with activity, the quiet is unnerving. 

“We're all waiting for you.” Jeonghan says. “Take your time.”

The lump in his throat is back.

“Thank you.” 

“But you'd better be ready before my next heat.” Jeonghan quips, and Seungcheol laughs out loud in the empty dorm, but it doesn't feel quite as lonely as before.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering making this into a series set in the same universe, if the inspiration strikes. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
